Nearly three years after Taboon was forced to close due to a devastating fire, a new restaurant, Frena, is opening at the corner of W52nd Street and 10th Avenue. This place was once called home by Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurants.
Frena will officially open tomorrow, Wednesday, March 27th, under the co-leadership of the father-son team of Aaron and Stephen Barkin and the old restaurant's award-winning chef, Effie Naon.
The name comes from the Moroccan Arabic word for communal oven. Fittingly, Stephen said, fresh bread will be Frena's cornerstone, with the oven at its heart.
“When I was a child, my grandmother once taught me in Hebrew that bread lasts forever,” he said. “And there is no such thing as a meal without bread.”
The restaurant will serve “very elegant Middle Eastern cuisine,” Stephen said. Everything is made from scratch, including the pastries, and the kitchen is busy from 8am preparing for the day.
The Frena-baked bread is served with house-made dips and is paired with an “Old World” wine and cocktail program created by sommelier and wine educator Dana Beninati, “which explores the lesser-known gems of the Middle East and Mediterranean. We will introduce you to ancient grapes. According to a press release.
Israeli-born chef Naon trained at France's three-star Michelin restaurant L'Esperance. Before he became Tabun's founding executive chef in 2002, he worked at restaurants in Israel, France, and Greece.
“At the heart of Frena is bringing people together around the shared experience of sitting around the table, around the oven, and savoring delicious food,” the chef said in the announcement.
Bringing people together is what Stephen is most excited about about the opening. Although he is quick to point out that he is not a “restaurateur” and has another full-time job, he previously helped save Upper West Side restaurant Santa Fe from closing during the pandemic. I have contributed to.
“We've been there for about 18 months building this place, but the constant for me is the community,” Stephen said. “Every day someone stopped by. People got the impression that something was coming back, and the neighbors started to realize that it was Effie's Kitchen coming back.”
Stephen is a longtime resident of Hell's Kitchen. Like Effie, he and his family, who are Israeli, had been regulars at their favorite restaurant, Tabun, for years. That's why they knew they needed to help breathe new life into this universe.
“My dad and I and the whole family were friendly.” [Efi] “Through the restaurant, we never really hung out with him, but we always went there,” Stephen said. “When that store had to close, a natural discussion started to arise. And that's exactly why we wanted to come in. Our office is five blocks away. Yes, I work in the area and it's been my home for the last 10 years. I spend all of my time there, so why not?”
Frena is located at 773 10th Avenue (corner of W52nd St). Reservations can be made through Resy. Follow them on Instagram for more information and updates.frena new york
